In the field of automotive instrumentation, instrument clusters contain many different gauges and warning lights indicating various vehicle conditions. Often times warning lights are used to indicate when certain conditions exist, which can be seen on a specific instrument gauge. For example, if a vehicle fuel gauge reaches a certain point near empty, indicating that the vehicle is coming close to running out of fuel, a low fuel indicator light is illuminated. Other indicator lights include up shift lights that illuminate when a vehicle's rotations per minute (RPMs) exceed a certain normal range for a specific gear and warn a driver to slow down or up shift to a higher gear. Other examples of indicator lights include engine temperature, oil pressure, and battery voltage warning lights that are illuminated when their respective gauges or conditions reach a certain warning or caution zone.
One problem with using various warning lights is that they are not easily noticed by a driver due to the complexity of instrument clusters. Additionally, a driver must notice the warning light and be able to decipher the symbol or what the light is indicating, which is not always obvious from a quick glance at the instrument cluster. It is therefore desirable to provide instrument clusters and instrument gauges that are easily recognizable and stand out to a driver by having a quick look at the instrument cluster.
The use of warning lights also do not always provide a driver with a feel for how detrimental the problem might be, without viewing the respective instrument gauge to which the warning light pertains. For example, a low fuel indicator light still requires a driver to look at the fuel level gauge and determine how close the gauge is to being at the empty tank indicator. It is therefore further desirable to provide instrument clusters and instrument gauges that provide the driver with more indicators that a certain issue could or may be addressed prior to the issue or problem developing to a point where a warning indication is needed.